Jungle Chronicle–Heroin Summary
Jungle Chronicle
“Jungle Chronicle” a brief quotation from Jean Mallat’s The Philippines about the indigenous “small Negroes.”
His Mother, the Whore
“His Mother, the Whore” opens with Joey narrating. Some say that Joey’s mother, Zenaida, sold Joey to Uncle for fifty pesos before committing suicide by jumping in a river. Boy-Boy claims to have seen her ghost by the river. When her bloated body was pulled up, Uncle identified her and paid for a pauper’s funeral. Joey was six and does not remember it well, but he never asks about it. Uncle had Joey begin selling items in the street but eventually taught Joey to steal. Joey was a skilled thief and enjoyed stealing. When he was ten, one of Uncle’s sex workers had sex with Joey. Though initially repulsed by her, he found himself eager to be with her again. Uncle watched them together and smoked opium. Since then, Joey has developed a taste for men because he knows how to turn them on, but he does not rule women out, especially one that would take him away from Manila for good.
Floating Bodies
This section is a news story about decapitated bodies being found in the Makupit River.
Serenade
Trinidad Gamboa attempts to put her love, Romeo Rosales, in a better mood. Trinidad used to work as a cashier at the Odeon Theater and accompanied Romeo to movies, which he loved watching. Now, they sit in a Chinese restaurant, and she offers to take him to see a new movie with his favorite actress, Lolita Luna, but he does not respond, only snapping at her to stop when she tries to swat flies away with the menu. She asks if he is jealous that his friend Tito Alvarez is in the movie, but he tells her that he just has a lot on his mind. They take a taxi to the theater.
Trinidad remembers their first meeting: she sold Romeo a movie ticket. When the movie was over, Trinidad stopped him as he was leaving the theater and invited him to go out for Chinese food. Intrigued by her aggressiveness, he went with her and began to think about her as a potential partner. Although he had never had Chinese food, he enjoyed it, and they went back to his apartment to make love. It was painful for Trinidad, who was a virgin, but it was exactly what she wanted.
Later, Trinidad planned to marry Romeo. She wrote to her parents, who did not give her permission to marry and insisted that she return home to Cebu or they would cut off her allowance. Still, she believed she could make a living herself, working more hours at the Odeon or taking on a second job at SPORTEX. Trinidad wishes that Romeo would agree to meet her parents, but he refuses, and instead, he talks her into having sex every time the topic arises. During sex, he closes his eyes and imagines she is a movie star because he does not like the way she looks.
Tsismis
Delores and Pucha’s mother, Florence, are out shopping, complaining about the crowds. Rio and Pucha are having manicures and pedicures done at a cheap salon. Pucha complains that they should go to a more expensive place, but they do not have the money. Pucha’s goal is to marry rich so she never has to worry about spending money at expensive salons. She wants to live in a fancy house in the good part of town, and she believes Boomboom Alacran will be her savior in this regard.
Rio remembers that the day...
(This entire section contains 1352 words.)
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her grandfather Whitman died, her mother picked her up at school. After Whitman’s death, Rio’s mother fell in love with a Brazilian ambassador, and her father was promoted to a high-paying job for Severo Alacran’s Intercoco business. He now plays golf with Severo and other important figureheads every weekend, placing high-stakes bets. Delores has no interest in golf but goes to the golf club to watch her new love interest play tennis. Freddie often brings to the club Uncle Agustin, who also works for Severo but does not have a club membership or the high standing of Freddie.
Pucha and Rio come home from the parlor and sit in Rio’s room. Pucha is being punished for giving Boomboom her pearl ring. Florence appreciates that Pucha is receiving attention from an Alacran but wants to preserve Pucha’s virginity. Pucha enjoys flaunting herself and even acts coyly and seductively in front of “uncle” Severo, who finds Pucha desirable. Pucha also enjoys going swimming, showing herself off in bathing suits. Rio is disgusted by her cousin.
Sprikitik
It is a Saturday night, and the Gonzaga family is eating dinner. Uncle Agustin complains that Congressman Abad cheats at golf. To the family’s dismay, Agustin begins talking about Severo’s newest mistress. The family retires to a sitting room for coffee, drinks, and cigars. Pucha’s brother, Mikey, asks the servant Aida for a Johnny Walker on the rocks. Raul asks for a beer but receives a cola. When Aida returns, Mikey asks her if it is putok, or fake alcohol, addressing her impatiently. Delores intervenes, explaining that the boys are just teasing her, and dismisses Aida. Mikey shares a rumor that a general in the army rewards his soldiers with putok. A disagreement arises about who is related to whom in the elite circle, until Raul asks about “the camps” that General Ledesma runs, which are purportedly torture camps for subversives. Supposedly, Boomboom has visited one of these camps, but Agustin and Freddie agree that all Alacrans are liars. Freddie then gets up to make a phone call, and the family leaves.
Her Eminent Ascent into Heaven
At General Ledesma’s house, some soldiers guard the driveway, and Ledesma confers with Pepe Carreon. Upstairs, Ledesma’s wife, Leonor, tosses and turns in bed. She never wanted to marry Ledesma and instead wished to earn sainthood through self-denial. She spends most of her time either doing service work for the church or praying. Leonor believes that the general has had many bastard children who live in the house, and she wants them to leave. Hortensia, a servant, humors Leonor by singing her a hymn. Leonor falls into a fitful sleep and wishes for a painless death.
President William McKinley Addresses a Delegation of Methodist Churchmen, 1989
This chapter consists of a paragraph from a speech in which President William McKinley explains his justification for occupying the Philippines.
Heroin
Joey remembers his time before becoming a DJ at CocoRico. He hooked up with an American named Neil, who had a crush on Joey, and Joey liked to manipulate Neil’s emotions. One day, Neil brought a friend, Phil, who wanted to see a sex show. Joey, Neil, and Phil drove to see Uncle, who took them to an abandoned dinner club. Neil and Phil sat at a table in front of a stage, and a young man and woman entered the stage and had sex. The woman seemed ashamed, but the man, beautiful to Joey, asked if they’d like a second show.
Later, Joey and Neil were in a room at the Hilton. Joey packed all of the hotel’s complimentary items into a bag and asked Neil to call room service. They watched a television game show with amateur singers. Neil encouraged Joey to try out for the show as Romeo took the stage. Joey poked fun at Neil and insisted that he call room service for some food. He asked for a cheeseburger and fries as he grew aroused.
At the CocoRico, Joey receives a postcard from Neil, who has been stationed back in the United States. The picture is of the Sands Casino in Las Vegas. Andres agrees to help Joey write back to Neil, and Joey hopes Neil might be a ticket to the US. Some rich Australians walk into the bar, and Joey relaxes as heroin settles into his system and he waits for Andres to introduce him to the Australians.
Love Letters–Mister Heartbreak Summary
Her Mother, Rita Hayworth–Jungle Chronicle (II) Summary
